Summer Projects

So this summer, I've been busy with family activities, going slowly & intermittently with my miniatures painting. I am finally finishing more early Napoleonics in 28mm for my small Napoleonic armies project.

The first group are Russian Don Cossacks. The figures are Perry metal 28mm, and are very nice indeed. I have mounted them on 2 figure bases as Light Horse for the HFG (Horse, Foot, & Guns) rules. Don Cossacks were present at Austerlitz, Eylau, and Friedland.

The next stand of cavalry are the Kharkov (Russian) Dragoons, from the 1805-7 period. During this period, Russian Dragoon and Jager Infantry Regiments wore a pea green colored tunic rather than the more familiar dark green that they would wear later. After reviewing numerous illustrations & paintings of Russian Dragoons, I settled on Craftsmart Spanish Olive for the green color. The 28mm figures are by Brigade Games, sculpted by the same sculptor who did the Victrix 28mm plastic Napoleonic range. The Kharkov Dragoon Regiment had orange facings and fought at Austerlitz, assigned to Uvarov's Brigade in the 5th (cavalry) column commanded by Prince Johann von Liechtenstein.

The Chevalier Guard is the next stand of figures completed, with figures also by Brigade Games. The Chevalier Guard was a Cuirassier Regiment, but did not wear the Cuirass during the 1805-7 campaigns. During this period, they would be considered Elite Heavy Cavalry, on par with the Horse Grenadiers of the French Imperial Guard. Many illustrations show the Chevalier Guard with yellow & black stripes as trim around the border of the red horse blanket. However, my research has found that the yellow & black stripes did not appear until 1811. The Chevalier Guard was part of the Russian Imperial Guard Corps at Austerlitz, commanded by the Grand Duke Constantine. At Friedland, the Chevalier Guard was assigned to Kogine's Cavalry Brigade, attached to Osterman-Tolstoi's Division.

Russian Jagers are the next stands completed. They are also by Brigade Games. You get three poses in an 8 figure pack. The figures are "cast on demand" when you order them. The Jagers are in the same green as the dragoons, and also wear a unique double billed shako. The Russians were new to light infantry tactics at this time and not as advanced or experienced as their French opponents. In HFG terms, the Jagers would be considered inferior light infantry. There were 4 line Jager regiments at Austerlitz, and 8 regiments present at Eylau & Friedland.

Russian mounted officers are next, figures from Brigade Games.

The last stand I completed is an Austrian 6pdr "Wurst" (sausage) gun by Perry Miniatures. It is definitely one of the oddities of the Napoleonic wars, with the artillery crew riding on the "wurst" gun carriage. I'm guessing it was a rough, uncomfortable ride. I will use the model as a horse gun.

My source of information on the Russian Army of the Napoleonic Wars is Jonathan Gingerich, whose excellent website is here:

http://zaotlichiye.net63.net/allfacings.html

Obscure Battles Blog

In recent years I have enjoyed reading the "Obscure Battles" blog by Jeff Berry. Jeff is a professional writer who loves military history and writes about particular battles in history that interests him. Jeff writes with the perspective of someone who has worked in military intelligence, and provides his own, as well as other opinions regarding the battle. In each blog article, Jeff creates his own maps of the battle, which often include the actual units and their positions, as well as complete orders of battle and estimated strengths. He also includes suggestions for wargaming the battle. At the end of each article is a complete bibliography for further study. What makes some of these battles obscure (if not already well known) is Jeff's take on the battle, which is always insightful & entertaining.

Below is a link to the Battle of Friedland, and I've included a link to the main page on my links list on the right side of the page. The maps Jeff created for Friedland include the positions of every unit that fought at the battle.

http://obscurebattles.blogspot.com/2018/03/friedland-1807.html

Caesar Invades Britain (Again), a DBA 3.0 AAR

My friend Bob & I got together & played DBA 3.0 with double sized armies of Ancient British vs Marian Romans. Bob recently obtained more British chariots and was eager to see them used. We used the Big Battle DBA (BBDBA) rules, modified by using only 2 commands per side instead of 3, on a 6' x 4' board.

The battle was set up to somewhat mimic Caesar's first invasion, with the British hanging back from the coast at a distance, following &  watching the Romans land before approaching for battle. The Roman force was assumed to be following along the coast in ships, landing on a random location where the White Cliffs of Dover were no longer an obstacle to getting ashore. As happened historically, the Roman cavalry would not be able to land with the main force, but landed in a random location in a random number of turns later. In 2 previous games, the British won both using standard 12 element DBA, so the Romans were trying to get revenge.

One special rule we used was that British light chariots could dismount during the game as warbands (3Wb). However, the British never used this option during the game. Another special rule was that the Roman player could decide which pip dice to assign to each command after rolling each bound, to reflect Caesar's command ability. The British had to roll a separate die for each command and use whatever the score was for that command each turn.

The order of battle for both sides is shown below:

Ancient British (List # II/53)

2 x Commands each composed of the following:

1 x General in chariot (LCh)
3 x LCh (British chariots)
2 x LH (Light Horse)
6 x 3Wb (Fast Warbands)

The British army is fast moving, and has troops that can go toe to toe with the Romans, and has an advantage in the number of mounted troops.

Marian Roman (List # II/49)

2 x Commands each composed of the following:

1 x General on foot (4Bd)

2 x Cavalry (3Cv)

1 x Psiloi (Ps)

1 x fast Thracian Mercenary Auxilia (3Ax)

2 x solid Greek Theurophori Auxilia (4Ax)

5 x Legionaries (4Bd)

For the Romans in this game, we avoided using Roman troop types that would not have been used in Britain, such as elephants, Asiatic Horse archers, etc.

Below is the British deployment. The battlefield had a ridge on the Britain's entry edge, while the battlefield side edges had rough terrain.

The Roman entry side was divided into 6 x 1' numbered "entry zones." The Romans rolled a '4' and entered zone 4 as shown.

A close up of the Roman foot. The Roman cavalry would land randomly and enter at a zone to be determined on a later turn.

The Romans hang back to deploy their force.

On turn 5, the Roman cavalry arrives at entry zone 2, separated from the main body, while the Britain's advance.

The Romans have mostly deployed while the Britain's close.

The Britain's charge on the Roman far right flank....

British chariots & the CinC (red bordered shield) charge the Mercenary theurophori.

British warbands charge in the center.

Panorama of the battle.

More chariots & Romans in close combat.

The warband breaks through the Roman line.

The Romans kill one chariot, but the Britains are attacking Caesar's blade element with a double corner overlap. Caesar has to fight them off using his CinC +1.

Another panorama of the battle. The Roman right flank command is demoralized, while the British right flank command is also demoralized.

Caesar's last moments as his command is demoralized and he runs out of the CinC bonus.

It was a close contest with both sides having a demoralized command. The Britain's claim another victory and are now 3-0 vs the Romans. You can read about the previous British victories here and here.

Changed Blog Layout

I changed the layout & theme design of this blog, in case you're wondering.

28mm Skythian DBA Army Done

I finally finished my 28mm Skythian Army that I started over a year ago. This is what I have: 4 x Cavalry or Knights, 8 x Light Horse, and 3 x 3Ax (Fast Auxilia).

Below is the army:

The cavalry/knights below are First Corps 28mm Skythian Nobles:

The light horse below are Old Glory 28mm Skythian horse archers:

The figures below are 25mm Ral Partha Skythian horse archers and Thracian javelinmen, figures I painted over 30 years ago, but have been re-purposed for DBA:

More pix below:

At some point in the future, I will flock & tuft the bases on these guys!